


A Flash and a Bang

by inuyashamunkey



Series: Bad Things Happen Bingo [9]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Hurt Keith (Voltron), Keith suffers, Mind Manipulation, Protective Team, Psychological Torture, Team as Family, Torture, but its mild, doused in water, whats new
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-16
Updated: 2018-12-16
Packaged: 2019-09-20 04:27:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,680
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17015721
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/inuyashamunkey/pseuds/inuyashamunkey
Summary: The team is forced to watch as Keith endures the Z-forms' cruel and unusual form of torture.





	A Flash and a Bang

**Author's Note:**

> Hey is the nearing end of this semester hurting you all as much as it's hurting me? Yeah? Good, have some Keith angst.
> 
> This is the shortest BTHB yet and I'm sorry but school and...S8

 Featuring Keith and protective team

~

"Hold."  _Click._

"Hold."  _Click._

"Hold."  _Click._

"Hold."  _Click._

_"Just stop it already, haven't you done enough!?"_ Lance's voice cut through the fog.

"Hold." _Click._

"Hold." _Click._

"Turn off the speaker, I tire of their shrill voices."

"Yes, sir. Hold." _Click._

Somehow, the noise still festered in his mind.

"Hold."  _Click._

"Hold."  _Click._

"That's enough, I do believe we'll get what we're asking for, now."

"Yes, sir."

His body was suddenly overcome with cold and wet but it didn't startle him as it should've. The noise finally cut out and his throat burned. _Stars, was that_ him _?_

His vision slowly faded back to the normality of darkness as the bright white flashing discontinued, leaving colored spots in his vision. The sharp-toothed creature holding a dripping bucket over his head grinned as Keith blinked at him hard, try to clear his vision.

Everything came back to him slowly like he was coming out over a century-long nap. Many things registered: First, he was freezing cold and wet and shivering like his very bones were at the epicenter to his personal earthquake. Second, the room he was in was dimly lit, though he had a hard time seeing it past the hurl-worthy stench of the beast's breath an inch from his nose. Third, a light thumping coming from behind him.

The humanoid creature stepped back and dropped the bucket at his side with a clank. "Good morning, paladin, I hope your nap was _restful."_

Keith made a noise in the back of his throat he was sure was meant to be  _something_  but he couldn't make sense of what it was meant to be or what it was.

"Now." The creatures boots clicked on the floor as he walked over to a darkened shelf leisurely. He picked up an almost star-shaped object Keith didn't recognize. "Do you remember what was asked of you, paladin?"

Keith wet his lips, his head hurt. "No."

The creatures smile sharpened further and he stepped closer. "Good."

He brought the object to Keith's head, pressing it to his temple.

Keith flinched. "What are you doing with--"

He was knocked over the head with it. "Silence. You have not been given permission to speak.".

Permission to? Since when did he need...

There was a click, a familiar one, and a new warmth on his temple and suddenly his head was filled with cotton--no, rockets- _\- wait-_ -it was _exploding_ and--

~

"Keith!  _Keith!"_  Lance's voice had gone hoarse, terror building as the flashing commenced once more, Keith confused and vulnerable.

"He can't hear us..." Pidge's voice was weak. She'd already covered her eyes. Lance didn't blame her, not for a second.

Shiro's now-dented metal fist banged against the glass once more,  _"Dammit."_

Another flash filtered in through the thick glass pane at their front. Lance could only watch as Keith's face was obscured by a blinding white light, his eyes glowing a faint rose color as the shine faded. Lance could see his limbs becoming looser and looser as time went on, his body giving in once more

"Keith! Keith, come on!" Lance screamed again, employing the only weapon he had: his voice.

Never had it seemed quieter.

Shiro's fist resumed it's banging, a drop of sweat sliding down his vein-bulged temple. "Anything?"

"No," Hunk replied heavily. "It's solid; I can't find any way out of here."

Lance heard the heavy thump of Hunk's feet as he jumped down from where he'd been climbing onto a built-in shelf to reach the ceiling.

"Sorry, guys." Lance turned and smiled at Hunk, weak but present.

He patted Hunk's shoulder. "It's okay, buddy. It's not your fault."

Another flash went through the room and Lance's hand tightened. "We have to do something."

"Like what?" Shiro snapped, his entire body taut with unreleased tension.

Lance felt a flare of annoyance in his chest at Shiro's uncalled-for answer, but reminded himself that he was aggravated--they all were. "Try punching the walls instead of the glass."

_It may not work, but at least you wouldn't be watching your brother get tortured._

Shiro looked down at his feet, his eyes clenching shut as another flash went through the room. "Okay," he agreed softly, resolutely turning away and sending his fist into any weak points he could find on the wall.

Lance turned his gaze back to the window, taking care in standing in Pidge's line of sight.

He watched as the aliens, _Z-forms_  Pidge called them, continued their strange form of torture. Lance didn't understand it; didn't understand the purpose of what they were doing and maybe that was what scared him so much.

The object didn't look unlike a photography light, nor did its flash, but a regular flash wouldn't do... _this_  to Keith.

Keith had stopped struggling the first few flashes in, his eyes squinting in the blinding light and flinching back weakly, clearly disassociated. There had been Z-forms holding him, at first, but their grips grew laxer and laxer as Keith stopped holding himself up. It was particularly distressing when they dropped him completely, just moving the device downward and holding his eyelids open by force.

That was when Lance had started screaming. He'd been so startled so.. _.terrified_ by the despondent way Keith responded he didn't know what to do but scream.

But it didn't matter, Keith didn't seem to understand and they were soon silenced, their only weapon disposed of.

_"Scream all you want, paladins, he can't hear you."_

He didn't know what they were doing to Keith, but he knew it wasn't anything good.

How could it be?

~

Shiro had exhausted himself with his banging by the time the torture finally stopped.

Lance hadn't looked as the man slumped down against the wall, his breathing labored as he hid his face in his knees.

 Lance forced himself to watch it all; forced himself to be as presently  _with Keith_ as he possibly could be in the face of his friend's torture. The others had stopped watching long ago, but lance didn't mind being their pillar, for once.

Keith deserved to have someone who saw. At least, that's what Lance thought. Maybe that was stupid--he didn't really care.

He felt drained, drained and stiff and so, so tired. Pidge had curled up at his side, her face buried in his stomach as she clenched her fists in his shirt and fought not to cry. Eventually, she fell into a fitful sleep, Hunk giving her something to plug her eyes with to cover up the faint noise of clicking that preceded every flash.

That was when everything went dark. 

Lance's vision was covered in black and he kept a firm grip on Pidge, his eyes scanning blindly. He heard shuffling behind him and the sound sent shivers down his spine, but he was almost positive it was Hunk.

After a second, dull red light filled the area and his vision was restored. He saw the Z-forms looking up with suspicion, slowly putting whatever they had down. Then, over the comm, something was said in a foreign, garbled language.

The large Z-form who had dumped water over Keith spat something under his breath, a curse, Lance was sure, and started to stomp out. His assistant followed and all others after them and then Keith was left alone.

The door swung shut behind the Z-forms and Shiro stood, testing the heavily locked door that kept them in. "What do you want to bet the guards left, too?"

Lance pursed his lips, "Nothing; we can take them even if they're there."

Pidge had regained consciousness in the confusion, pulling herself up and away from Lance. After a brief explanation, the four of them were poised at either side of the door like Shiro held his hand ready to open it. It seemed as if the ship's security system had been brought down, allowing Pidge to easily tinker with the door and unlock t.

Shiro pushed the door open and they all held their breaths. Shiro looked back at them as the hallway remained clear. "Lance, go to Keith. Pidge, Hunk, come with me to find the lions."

Pidge only hesitated for a second before following but Hunk followed immediately, looking a bit green.

"Take care of him, Lance," Shiro said. Lance knew, by the stiff set over his shoulders and the clenching of his jacket, he wanted nothing more than to be by Keith's side.

But he was their leader. Leaders didn't get to choose. At that moment, not for the first time, Lance didn't envy him. 

Without giving more attention to that particular thought, Lance turned to the right in a sharp turn, slamming through the door to the room Keith was slumped inside of, blood dripping out of his nose.

Lance rushed to his side, kneeling. His eyes were open but unfocused and he seemed wholly unaware of the crimson river falling down his neck and under his collar. "Keith?" Lance took Keith's face between his hands gently, looking into the other man's dulled eyes, hoping to find something. He didn't know what, but he searched defiantly.

he found nothing; Keith was completely absent to the things happening around him.

Lance gently set Keith back down, gnawing on his lip. A quick glance around found him the hastily abandoned camera-looking object that had done this to his friend. With unsteady hands he picked it up, examining it.

He found the button the man had pressed to activate the light and was careful not to press it, but other than that he could find nothing that told him what the purpose of the object was.

Lance grit his teeth. he slowly put it down lest he threw it in his frustration. Pidge would want to examine it. He glanced down at Keith, unmoved, and held onto his arm.

Lance retrieved his bayard, setting his eyes on the door. The next person who tried to take Keith from his team again would be shot down. 

His fingers closed, feeling Keith's slow pulse.

Lance would make sure of it  _personally._

**Author's Note:**

>  **I've had a few words about S8 over on Tumblr if you'd like to hear:(Or you can request a Bad Things Happen Bingo prompt)** one-trigger-lullaby.tumblr.com
> 
> Also, on another note, I post some things on my blog that I don't post here (Short writing things) so if you really wanna see everything I write, follow me there.
> 
> One more upload before Christmas so I'll just say happy Hannukah and Kwanza (If it's already started, I don't know)


End file.
